Colonoscope Health Dictionary

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Colonoscope: From 1 Different Sources

An ENDOSCOPE for viewing the interior of the COLON. It is made of ?breglass which ensures ?exibility, and incorporates a system of lenses for magni?cation and a lighting system.
Health Source: Medical Dictionary
Author: Health Dictionary

Colonoscopy

Examination of the inside of the colon by means of a flexible, fibre-optic viewing instrument called a colonoscope, which is introduced through the anus and guided along the colon.

Colonoscopy is used to investigate symptoms such as bleeding from the anus and to look for disorders such as colitis, polyps, and cancer.

Instruments may be passed through the colonoscope to take biopsy specimens or to remove polyps.... colonoscopy

Fibreoptic Endoscopy

A visualising technique enabling the operator to examine the internal organs with the minimum of disturbance or damage to the tissues. The procedure has transformed the management of, for example, gastrointestinal disease. In chest disease, ?breoptic bronchoscopy has now replaced the rigid wide-bore metal tube which was previously used for examination of the tracheo-bronchial tree.

The principle of ?breoptics in medicine is that a light from a cold light source passes down a bundle of quartz ?bres in the endoscope to illuminate the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract or the bronchi. The re?ected light is returned to the observer’s eye via the image bundle which may contain up to 20,000 ?bres. The tip of the instrument can be angulated in both directions, and ?ngertip controls are provided for suction, air insu?ation and for water injection to clear the lens or the mucosa. The oesophagus, stomach and duodenum can be visualised; furthermore, visualisation of the pancreatic duct and direct endoscopic cannulation is now possible, as is visualisation of the bile duct. Fibreoptic colonoscopy can visualise the entire length of the colon and it is now possible to biopsy polyps or suspected carcinomas and to perform polypectomy.

The ?exible smaller ?breoptic bronchoscope has many advantages over the rigid tube, extending the range of view to all segmental bronchi and enabling biopsy of pulmonary parenchyma. Biopsy forceps can be directed well beyond the tip of the bronchoscope itself, and the more ?exible ?breoptic instrument causes less discomfort to the patient.

Fibreoptic laparoscopy is a valuable technique that allows the direct vizualisation of the abdominal contents: for example, the female pelvic organs, in order to detect the presence of suspected lesions (and, in certain cases, e?ect their subsequent removal); check on the development and position of the fetus; and test the patency of the Fallopian tubes.

(See also ENDOSCOPE; BRONCHOSCOPE; LARYNGOSCOPE; LAPAROSCOPE; COLONOSCOPE.)... fibreoptic endoscopy

Overtube

n. a semirigid plastic tube (25–45 cm long) designed to fit over the shaft of an *endoscope in order to minimize the risk of trauma. It can be used with a *gastroscope, *cholangioscope, *enteroscope, or colonoscope (see colonoscopy). An overtube is placed over the shaft of an endoscope prior to its insertion; once the endoscope is in the desired place, the overtube is lubricated and slid into position over the shaft. It is commonly used in combination with a gastroscope for the removal of ingested foreign bodies (especially those with sharp or serrated edges that may cause significant trauma as they are being extracted).... overtube

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